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at the hospital (10 minutes later)I was contracting quite quickly and was uncomfortable sitting down as the baby's head was putting a lot of pressure on my pelvic area.

Upon arriving at the hospital and checking in I was placed under close observation. I guess it was a good idea to carry the medical chart of my pregnancy in my purse, otherwise these poor doctors would have had no clue about my progression through pregnancy. It was quickly determined that I was about 3 centimeters dilated and progressing nicely.

I was enjoying walking around the assessment room and bouncing on the birthing ball when I abruptly informed my husband I needed drugs and needed them now. My husband set off to find the nurse who quickly returned to further assess me before administering the drugs. She informed me there would be no time for drugs as I was at 10 centimeters and was having a baby. SAY WHAT? I was more so in shock over how quickly things were progressing. Despite feeling quite uncomfortable, the pain was still manageable with breathing and relaxation methods.

I remember being wheeled into the Labor and Delivery room, looking at my husband and saying, "Holy %&*#!" All of this progressed in a matter of about an hour and a half, from the onset of contractions to 10 centimeters. As I lay there trying to master the art of pushing, which is highly over rated, I did enjoy a few puffs of the gas. The gas was enough to take the edge off the discomfort. I will use this analogy, "a burning ring of fire". There was some internal tearing and more blood then the doctor would have liked to have seen, but the delivery was fast and fairly easy. Hannah Patricia Louise was born at 1:07AM. Our lives would change forever.

The next few hours were a blur as our family came and went to see the new arrival and congratulate us as new parents. I don't think my husband fully came out of shock until we returned home from the hospital and settled into our routine at home a few days later, he was so quiet through it all.

One of the lessons I have learned through all of this is you can be so prepared with bags packed, cameras ready, a birth plan and so on, but life happens when we least expect it. We did not have time to grab our video camera nor our digital camera as these items were all packed in our birthing bag that never even left the trunk of the car until the next day. What we do have are memories for life.

I was a woman who had fears of intense pain that would lead to an epidural, which I did not want to go through as I am terrified of needles. My other fear of having to endure a c-section. Well for me God answered prayers and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

My advice is be relaxed and enjoy it from the moment labor begins because this is yet another step in your child's life, one that will never happen again.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Swinamer.
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